1825 and all that
We’ve been celebrating the bicentenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway (S&DR) this year. The S&DR was created to tap the coal wealth of County Durham. It had numerous successors, many of which have since faded into obscurity. I decided to pay an autumn visit to one of these, the Castle Eden Railway (CER).
Avoiding line
The line was built by the North Eastern Railway in 1878 to bring coal from the pits of east Durham to the furnaces of Teesside. A line already existed via Hartlepool, but that route contained the fierce 1 in 34 incline of Hesleden Bank. So, the new line avoided this, and the congested routes north of the river Tees. The line ran for 14 miles, from Wellfield Junction, near Wingate, to Bowesfield Junction, just south of Stockton-on-Tees.
Passenger route
Although intended as a freight route, the NER also provided a passenger service, commencing in 1880, with stations opening at Hurworth Burn, Wynyard and Thorpe Thewles. Passenger trains diverted from the CER south of Thorpe Thewles, via Carlton and Norton Junctions, to reach Stockton. This station, which was known as North Stockton at the time, had opened in 1852.
Wellfield
Wellfield Station, which actually served nearby Wingate, didn’t open until 1882. Passengers connect here for services between Sunderland and Hartlepool. The next station in the Hartlepool direction on that line was Castle Eden, which served the village of that name. But, confusingly, the Castle Eden Railway never served Castle Eden station.
What’s in a name?
So why did the NER name their line the Castle Eden Railway when it didn’t serve its namesake? We’ll never know. Locals just called it the Cuckoo line. No, I can’t help with that information either. The routes are shown on the map below:
A sparse service
Passenger services never thrived on the CER. There were only four trains per day. The intermediate stations closed in 1931. Wellfield remained open until 1952, but only for services between Hartlepool and Sunderland. Freight services lasted a little longer, finally ceasing with the closure of the entire route in 1966.
Walking the route
I started my walk in Wingate village. The site of Wellfield station can be found by walking east along Wellfield Road. The road can be seen to the left of the photo below. It crossed the railway on a bridge after about 200 metres.
Wellfield Station
The site of Wellfield Station is easy to locate, as it was built directly under the bridge. A path leads down to the trackbed from the right side of Wellfield Road. The station waiting room was actually built on the bridge itself. The parapet that supported the building can be seen in the photograph below.
National Cycle Route
This part of the CER trackbed forms part of National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 1, from Tain in Scotland to Dover. This remains the case right through to Stockton.
Wellfield Junction
I headed south along the trackbed. The path soon forks into two branches. The trackbed of the former line to Hartlepool heads straight ahead, before curving left. This forms part of the Haswell to Hart footpath. But the CER headed right, towards the south, as indicated by the sign.
Lost trackbed
After a few minutes I reached one of three places where the trackbed of the CER can no longer be followed. The line went straight ahead, but the footpath is diverted to the right, via Station Town.
Station Town
Station Town is named after Wingate station, one of two to serve the village. It was located on the line from Hartlepool to Ferryhill, which crossed under the CER at right angles under a long-demolished bridge. This line had been built by the improbably named Great North of England, Clarence and Hartlepool Junction Railway. After reaching Front Street, also known as the B1280, the footpath diversion continues south for about 10 minutes, before picking up the trackbed of the CER again. This section of the route is known as the Hurworth Burn Way, so the sign could be confusing for the unwary traveller.
Hurworth Burn Reservoir
But the sign is an indication that the route is heading towards Hurworth Burn, the first intermediate station on the CER. Just before the station, the railway bisected Hurworth Burn Reservoir. There are fine views on either side of the trackbed. The reservoir is a great place for watching birdlife, particularly waders.
Hurworth Burn railway station
Immediately south of the reservoir, the CER reached Hurworth Burn railway station. This station, like most built in the Victorian era, was well-appointed. All of the stations on the CER were substantial structures, despite serving a meagre population. Nothing survives of the station buildings, but the platforms are still intact, apart from the coping stones. They are in remarkable condition, considering that they have been out of use since 1931.
Wind power
The next few miles run through open countryside, not much changed from when the line was built. However, as I approached the site of the next station, a wind farm appeared on the right. Despite it being almost windless at ground level, the blades were spinning as if in a gale.
Millennium Bridge
Heading south, the route is diverted east of the trackbed via the Millenium Bridge. This takes NCR1 across the A689. The bridge was opened by local MP Tony Blair in September 2001.
Wynyard railway station
I crossed the road to take a photo of the bridge. I then turned round to my right to get a picture of the next station on the CER, Wynyard. The former station is now a private residence.
Wynyard garden village
I rejoined the cycle route via a path alongside the former station. After a few minutes, new housing can be seen to the left of the route. This is Wynyard garden village, which is steadily engulfing the countryside along both sides of the A689. These houses are being built on a former forestry plantation.
Wynyard Woodland Park
The walk now enters Wynyard Woodland Park, formerly known as the Castle Eden Walkway. After lying derelict since 1966, three miles of trackbed was acquired by Cleveland County Council in 1977. The council converted it into a walkway, which is now managed by Stockton Council. Much of this section lies in cuttings, and nature is gradually taking over. It’s beautiful at all times of the year, but particularly in the autumn.
Thorpe Thewles railway station
The former railway station at Thorpe Thewles is now a visitor centre and café. The centre is popular with cyclists, ramblers and dog walkers. It’s now far busier than it was when it was a railway station.
Coal drops
Most rural stations hosted coal sidings, allowing the stationmasters to supplement their income. The coal drops at Thorpe Thewles are extant.
Royal Train
Despite not seeing much passenger use, Thorpe Thewles was visited by the royal train five times between 1901 and 1910. Edward VII was a close friend of Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry, who owned nearby Wynyard Hall. The shooting was so good that, in 1903, Edward hosted a meeting of the Privy Council at the hall, rather than return to London.
Don’t be stupid, be a smarty…
Charles’ son, the 7th Marquess, was a nazi sympathiser. When German Ambassador Joachim Von Ribbentrop arrived at Thorpe Thewles station to visit Wynyard Hall in 1936, Charles Jr arranged for Wynyard estate staff to line the route to Wynyard Hall waving swastika flags. Yes, flags were a thing then too. The current owner, Sir John Hall, is a Reform Party donor.
A bridge too far
Just south of the station, the only piece of major engineering on the CER was Thorpe Thewles Viaduct. The viaduct required 20 arches and eight million bricks to cross Thorpe Beck Valley. The bridge was demolished using explosives in 1979, to permit widening of the A177.
Round the houses
There’s quite a zig zag diversion to regain the trackbed on the other side of the former viaduct. The diversion is signposted just beyond the station site.
Solar Farm
The diversion route is signposted, but Google Maps came in handy at this stage. After crossing under the A177, I emerged next to the under-construction Cowley Solar Complex. When complete, this will be one of the largest solar farms in the UK. The company’s website states that it was due for completion in Q3 2025, so it’s behind schedule. However, a construction worker told me that it should be ready by Christmas. It’s a welcome sight.
Back on Track
I regained the trackbed of the CER just near a former railway junction. This was part of Carlton Junction, latterly Redmarshall Junction, where a south-to-east chord connected the CER to the Clarence Railway. This is where passenger trains departed the CER en route to Stockton station. The remains of the chord can be seen to the left of this photo.
The Clarence Railway
The CER then crossed over the Clarence Railway, one of the oldest in the world. The line is still in use by freight services between Teesside and Ferryhill, but only by a couple of trains a day. I’ve written about my visit to the railway here.
Glory days
Just further on, hidden in the undergrowth, is a reminder of busier times. The remnants of another chord, connecting the Clarence Railway to the CER, can be just about be made out. This chord allowed coal trains from west Durham to access the massive steelworks south of the river Tees.
Shildon to Newport Electrification
This section of track was so busy that the NER decided to electrify the route as early as 1916. It formed part of the freight route from Shildon to the Newport marshalling yard in Middlesbrough. The route can be seen coloured orange on the map below.
Insert map: Shildon to Newport Electrification
A backward step
However, the LNER, the successor company to the NER, was more focussed on steam than electric traction. A fall in traffic, caused by the Great Depression and the decline of pits in west Durham, gave it an excuse to dismantle the electrification infrastructure in 1935.
Suburban Sprawl
I reached the suburbs of Stockton earlier than expected. Yet more farmland is being swallowed by housing. Teesside probably contains more brownfield land than any other urban area of the UK. We are constantly being reminded of it. It’s inexplicable that we are using more greenfield land to build houses. The Teesworks project, for example, has set zero land aside for house building.
Stockton-on-Tees
The CER made its way through the Stockton suburbs of Hardwick, Bishopsgarth, Elm Tree, Fairfield and Hartburn before bridging across Hartburn Lane. The bridge was demolished in 1975. Here is a photo of the present day site.
Home straight
The railway curved east after crossing Hartburn Lane. It bridged over the S&DR, then under Yarm Road. Both of these bridges have been demolished. But the trackbed can be picked up again immediately east of Yarm Road on the edge of Van Mildert Park. Network Rail uses the track as an access point. The pathway is still covered in ballast, decades after the railway was removed.
Bowesfield Junction
The CER came to an end at Bowesfield Junction, where it merged into both the S&DR and the Durham Coast Line. Bowesfield signalbox can be seen in this photo, just to the left of a train heading towards Darlington.
Visiting the Castle Eden Railway route
The path makes for easy walking. It’s well-surfaced and well-signposted for the most part, and is almost level. The Arriva X22 bus service from Middlesbrough to Peterlee calls at Stockton, Thorpe Thewles and Wingate. The café at Thorpe Thewles visitor centre is recommended. However, if you intend to walk the northern part of this route, you’ll need to bring your own food and drink.
